1. Technical Field
The present disclosure is directed to improving the reliability of HVAC systems, and in particular, to systems, apparatus, and methods for monitoring HVAC system operating characteristics which provide improved diagnosis of system malfunctions.
2. Background
It is well-known that heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems need proper maintenance to ensure proper and efficient operation, and, occasionally, may need diagnosis and repair to correct faults. Various methods and systems for detecting and diagnosing faults that occur in are known in the prior art. These systems often rely on manufacturer's data for fault detection and diagnosis (FDD), but may also implement various algorithms for identifying a fault in a particular system. Known techniques for fault detection commonly employ algorithms which attempt to identify faults by relating anomalies seen in measured performance parameters to an underlying cause. Such techniques rely upon assumptions about the expected performance parameters, e.g., target operating ranges, tolerances, thresholds, and so forth, as they relate to the operational health of various components of the HVAC system. However, these systems may have drawbacks, because differences in HVAC system configuration may render the assumptions unsuitable or inaccurate for some HVAC systems, leading to false positives or undetected faults. An HVAC fault detection system which provides improved fault detection for a wider range of HVAC system configurations would be a welcome advance.